• by Tyler Loechner  @mp_tyler, April 28, 2014

Taking “viewability as a currency” to the next level, Undertone has announced the launch of Verified View, a new platform that allows advertisers to buy display ads and select IAB Rising Star units on a cost-per-viewable-impression basis.

In other words, advertisers will only pay for ads that are viewable.

Undertone’s new platform follows the Media Rating Council’s definition of viewable: at least 50% of an ad being in-view of a browser for at least one second.

The MRC recently lifted its advisory on using viewability as a currency for display ads and select IAB Rising Star units, which is why Undertone is limiting its new model to those specific units. The ad network intends to support any additional ad units backed by the MRC.

“Essentially, we are allowing clients to buy viewable impressions using any of four accredited vendors,” said Eric Franchi, co-founder and chief evangelist of Undertone. The four vendors are comScore, DoubleVerify, Integral Ad Science and Moat.

“This is different than most of the recent announcements, which are offering reporting but not the actual transacting,” Franchi added. “We are really excited about this.”

Anthony Psacharopoulos, executive vice president at comScore, stated earlier: “With the MRC’s advisory now lifted, viewability will undoubtedly become a new yardstick for measuring quality, making Verified View a smart addition to the company’s existing product suite.”